Thursday, May 23, 2013

ZMR Awards Show Review

By Suzanne Doucet

I just came back from New Orleans. An amazing event took place there at the Joy Theater. The 9th LIVE ZMR (Zone Music Reporter previously New Age Reporter) Music Awards took place with performances from some of the best artists in the genre. The event was a great success thanks to Daryl Portier and his staff at ZMR as well as thanks to all contributors and supporters of this event. Many artists, reviewers and broadcasters met for the first time and as Renée Blanche, (our beautiful host of the evening) pointed out "we became flesh and bones".

Bill Binkelman and RJ Lannan (music reviewers) walked around with a big smile on their face; Bill interviewed everyone at the entrance of the Joy Theatre; DJ Thornton was connecting with artists for her “Morning Breeze” Radio Show and I was able to hang out with Steven Halpern, Hennie Bekker, Trine Opsahl, Peter Kater, Michael Brant DeMaria, Jeff Oster, Marc Enfroy, Miriam Stockley (AOMUSIC), 2002, Heidi Ann Breyer, Will Ackerman, (who received the first Lifetime Achievement Award ) Joe Paulino, Peter Sterling and others.

Will Ackerman

Many members of the New Age Music Circle came to New Orleans and Beth Hilton and I were able to give away copies of our fifth New Age Music Circle compilation, which had just arrived prior to us leaving for New Orleans.

The performances and presentations of the evening were excellent and everyone gave more than their best! Will Ackerman was the star of the evening. I was blown away by Will’s presence and masterful guitar play, but also by Hennie Bekker, Michael Brant Demaria and Heidi Ann Breyer to name a few of the amazing performances. You can read all about the ZMR Music Awards nominees and recipients at:http://zonemusicreporter.com/admin/Awards_Show1.asp and more about the event at Daryl's FB page: https://www.facebook.com/daryl.portier?fref=ts

Heidi Ann Breye,r Hennie Bekker, Michael Brant Demaria

The event reminded me of our International New Age Music Conferences (with Awards and concert) in Los Angeles in the late ‘80s, where so many in our community met for the very first time… Steven Halpern and I were reminiscing about it. He was the first recipient of our Crystal Award for new age music. It is exciting to see that it is happening again – now with a whole new generation of musicians, labels, broadcasters and reviewers and with the support of the internet.

Steven Halpern

Beth Hilton and I also had a chance to see some parts of this warm, friendly and creative city. We went to the French Quarter and to the Waterfront. We had great crawfish, “New Age Wine” at the Red Fish, beignets and liquorish coffee at the Cafe du Monde! I really enjoyed this trip and hope there will be many annual LIVE ZMR Music Awards to come.

Thank you Daryl and Ben for organizing this great event! Thanks to everyone who was there and contributed to make this such a memorable weekend.

I encourage all of you who are involved with New age Music to become a member of ZMR at: http://zonemusicreporter.com/ - you can become a sponsor of ZMR and the next ZMR Music Awards!

Wednesday, May 8, 2013

It can be hard to know what kind of gift to buy someone, no matter how much you love them. Some people love gift giving, but others can find themselves stumped or disappointed when they're not quite on the mark.
Here's a few Mother's Day gift ideas for husbands or partners who want to treat their special someone to music that speaks volumes!

First off let's try to break it down by some archetypes: is she a romantic, down to earth, creature of comforts, an artistic type, etc.?

For "traditional" moms that enjoy pianos, roses and such, try Danny Wright's new piano album "A Mother's Love," with a bottle of red wine, some flowers and a framed photo of a beautiful moment.

Or, does she have more of a passionate or artistic flair? Maybe you want to try some luxurious bath salts, champagne, and copy of Al Conti's album "The Blue Rose" that follows a romantic fable. In the Asian myth, a princess who doesn't want to be forced into marriage declares she will marry the man who finds her a blue rose, unknown in nature. Her true love, in fact, finds that impossible blue rose. If you're especially ambitious, perhaps you'll dip the stem of a rose in blue dye to give to her.

And then, there are the women who enjoy spa packages, and those who would love the chance to indulge in a little TLC. Why not set up your own pampering session at home for the mother of your children, light some candles, warm the massage oil, and put on Fiona Joy Hawkins' beautiful album "Sensual Journeys." As a bonus, arrange for the kids to stay at Grandma's.